Side Effects of Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy has many common side effects.
Most side effects occur during treatment and begin to go away shortly after treatment ends. Others can last for months or even years.
How common and how severe the side effects are depend on the chemotherapy drugs used.
Learn about short-term side effects of chemotherapy.
Learn about long-term side effects of chemotherapy.
Easing worries about chemotherapy
It’s normal to worry about possible side effects of chemotherapy.
Talk with your health care provider about your concerns.
Your provider may be able to suggest a hospital social worker, patient navigator, psychologist or support group to help ease anxiety related to chemotherapy (or having breast cancer).
Learn more about support groups.
Managing side effects
Once you begin chemotherapy, let your oncologist or nurse know how the sessions are making you feel. They may be able to treat or prevent many side effects or change your treatment plan to reduce them.
Learn more about managing side effects of chemotherapy and other breast cancer treatments.
Susan G. Komen® resources
If you’ve been recently diagnosed with breast cancer or feel too overwhelmed to know where to begin to gather information, Susan G. Komen® has a Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Chemotherapy and Side Effects resource that might help.
You can download, print and write on the resource at your next doctor’s appointment. Or you can download, type and save it on your computer, tablet or phone during a telehealth visit using an app such as Adobe. Plenty of space and a notes section are provided to jot down answers to the questions.
There are other Questions to Ask Your Doctor resources on many different breast cancer topics you may wish to download.
SUSAN G. KOMEN® SUPPORT RESOURCES |
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Updated 05/27/22